# Ex-YSRCP MLA B. Gurnath Reddy to join Jana Sena Party 2026-08-19T19:44:29+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Former YSRCP MLA and senior Anantapur politician B. Gurnath Reddy is preparing to join the Jana Sena Party. Reddy, who was among the leaders who stood by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy when he left the Congress to launch the YSRCP, is expected to meet Jana Sena chief and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on August 25 and formally join the party along with a large number of supporters. Reddy won the Anantapur Assembly seat as a Congress candidate in 2009 and later as a YSRCP candidate in a 2012 by-election. After losing the 2014 election, he stayed away from the YSRCP due to differences and rejoined in December 2018. His political prominence declined after the 2019 elections, and the TDP won the seat in 2024. YSRCP leaders say Reddy has been keeping away from active party affairs. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The move comes as the TDP-BJP-Jana Sena alliance consolidates power in Andhra Pradesh after the 2024 election rout of the YSRCP. For Pawan Kalyan, inducting a veteran Congress-YSRCP turncoat like Gurnath Reddy signals a bid to break the YSR family's long-held dominance in the Rayalaseema region, especially Anantapur district. The key question is whether Reddy can bring significant local support, given he lost the seat in 2014 and has been politically marginalised since 2019. Watch for the size of the crowd he brings to the August 25 meeting as the first real signal of his remaining political weight. ## Coverage - greatandhra.com Straightforward report of a political defection with no loaded language, giving both sides' views. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, B. Gurnath Reddy, Jana Sena Party, Pawan Kalyan, YSR Congress Party Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ex-ysrcp-mla-b-gurnath-reddy-to-join-jana-sena-party/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ex-ysrcp-mla-b-gurnath-reddy-to-join-jana-sena-party/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/